


Selfless Trials of the Heart

by Neutrally_chaotic_booklover



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adopted Keith (Voltron), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Lawyer Shiro, M/M, Smut (maybe), humble middle class lance, rich Keith AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 01:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17315237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neutrally_chaotic_booklover/pseuds/Neutrally_chaotic_booklover
Summary: Lance McClain--an upper-middle-class Baker, is kidnapped to get back at Keith Kogane--a very wealthy business tycoon that works to aid other orphans like himself.Keith battles through bigotry and prejudice, as he tears apart the city he has always called home to find the other half of his heart.





	1. Missing

Keith raked his hand through his unruly mop of hair. All of the frustrations of the last twelve hours hung on his shoulders like an unbearable burden. Keith could feel the edges of his mind fraying, and a familiar but unwelcome haze was beginning to creep over his vision. This was not the time.

  
Almost as if in response to his blossoming migraine, the door to the interview room burst open, the bottom seam scrapping across the concrete floor. The noise echoed throughout the room hitting Keith with a resounding cacophony of unwanted stimulation.

  
“Good Morning, Mr. Kogane. My name is Detective Carson, and I’ll be asking you a few questions.” Keith met the detective with silence.

  
“Do you mind if I record this interview?” Keith gave him a dismissive wave of approval and the detective sat down in the chair across from him.

  
“Now, Mr. Kogane, I know it’s late and you are frustrated, but answering our questions can only help us in our investigation to find your…friend.” There was an unmistakable note of disdain in Detective Carson’s voice.

  
Keith’s blood boiled. It was one thing to keep his preferences hushed up at work. Even within the ranks of high society, Keith knew better than to flaunt the fact that he was gay. He kept a good deal of his life private. He had brought around a guy or two in the past, and he had certainly taken Lance to every function he could and although he never received any obvious backlash, he could feel the uneasiness.

  
“Just as I said with the officer from earlier, I am happy to answer any questions you may have.” Keith rubbed his hands over his face before looking at the detective who gave him a very professional, tight smile.

  
“Thank you. Now, can you tell me where you were last night?” Keith had to grit his teeth to keep from rolling his eyes.

  
“I was in my office, working late.” Detective Carson hummed in acknowledgment.

  
“And is there anyone that can confirm that you were, indeed, in your office late last night?” Detective Carson looked up at him, his brow furrowed in suspicion.

  
“Yes, my secretary, Amelia Greene, saw me come back into the office at around four, and then I was still there when she left at around six. The cleaning crew and night security arrived around eight, and I spoke to Harriet Jones and Joseph Rocker.” A flash of light burst across Keith’s vision and he furiously rubbed at his temple.

  
“Mr. Kogane, can you tell me when you last saw Mr. Mcclain?”

  
“I saw him yesterday at around one. We met up for a last-minute lunch since my day was going sour and I knew I would be working late. So, we met at Gorgio’s—“

  
“Gorgio’s? I’m pretty sure the waitlist for that place is a couple of months long.” Detective Carson said skeptically, and she scribbled on this notepad.

  
“I have a standing table, I have for years.” Keith could hear how pretentious he sounded and he hated it. He could never stomach the flaunting of money. He grew up with nothing, and when Caleb and Anne adopted him and offered him the world, his life changed drastically. Despite everything, Keith remained humble. Although his garage full of classic cars might refute that statement slightly.

  
“So, you saw Mr. Mcclain at one for lunch and didn’t return to the office until four?”

  
“Yes, that is correct.”

  
“When did you leave the restaurant?”

  
“Around two-fifteen, when I received a call from my secretary rescheduling an appointment that I had originally set for three.” Detective Carson continued with his acknowledging hum, a noise that Keith was coming to hate.

  
“That still leaves an hour and forty-five minutes unaccounted for.” Detective Carson said quietly. Keith looked up, his budding migraine momentarily forgotten.

  
“What exactly are you insinuating detective?” Keith could hear the bite in his own voice and he didn’t care. He wasn’t worried about saving face in this particular moment. This trash detective had the audacity to insinuate that he had a hand in Lance’s disappearance. His blood boiled and he clenched his fists tightly.

  
“You’re a smart man, Mr. Kogane. A smart, wealthy man with an image to uphold. I can’t imagine what a…blemish like this could do to a reputation such as yours.” Venom dripped from Detective Carson’s words and Keith could hardly accept what he was hearing. His anger was rising, and he could feel his self-restraint slipping. He was going to hit him. He was going to put Detective Carson in his place and he was going to—

  
“You should be ashamed, and don’t think I going to let this slide either. I’ll be reporting this to the state.” Almost as if by an act of God, the only voice that could have calmed Keith down boomed from the hallway. The door to the room opened, much softer than it had before, and Shiro stood in the doorway like the guardian angel he had proved to be time and time again.

  
“Who are you? What gives you the right to be barging into my interview room like this?” Detective Carson rose to his feet, his voice loud and his stance threatening. As big and domineering as his personality proved to be, it was no match for Shiro’s. Shiro radiated an intense kind of energy, both in the courtroom and in his daily life. It was clear that he was in charge, and nobody seemed to be able to truly rival his dominance.

  
“Takashi Shirogane,” He extended his mechanical prosthetic out to the detective who gripped it tightly. Keith saw the expression of slight surprise that crossed his face when the prosthetic gripped his hand back.

  
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shirogane, but this is an official police interview.” Detective Carson said sternly.

  
“I don’t think so. Seeing as you detained Mr. Kogane here unlawfully, and failed to notify the head of his legal team—that would be me—about this interrogation—“

  
“Now, sir, this is not an interrogation. It’s simply an interview. He reported his friend missing and we need to gather all of the information we possibly can.” Shiro cast an unsure glance at Keith. The word ‘friend’ had caught him off guard, and he was keenly aware of the disgusted inflection Detective Carson used with the word.

  
“Now, as much as I’m sure you’d like me to believe that, I don’t, and neither does my client. Until you have a real reason to bring us back in, we will be leaving.” Shiro placed a tight grip on Keith’s shoulder and began to escort him out. Before they passed the threshold into the hallway, Shiro stopped and turned.

  
“In the future, I hope you follow procedure if you should ever need to contact my client again.” And with that Keith and Shiro headed down the hallway, out of the police station and into the early morning air.

Keith had no jacket and refused as Shiro offered his own. Keith knew he looked a mess, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Lance was still missing, and from the looks of Detective Carson, the police were going to be no help.

  
The cold November air bit at Keith’s cheeks, but the pain was a nice distraction from the shit storm in his head.

  
He was going to find him. If he had to rip the world apart, drain the seas, burn the forests, Keith was going to find him.


	2. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's POV

Lance awoke uncomfortably cold. As he came to his senses his head began to pound. _Where the heck was he?_ The last thing he could remember was Keith— _Oh no! Keith!_ Lance wriggled fervently. It was then that he realized that he was in a worse predicament than he previously thought. Lance’s hands were bound at the wrist behind his back, and the darkness that he awoke to had not gone away. He was handcuffed and blindfolded.

“Hello?” Lance called out, hating the way that his voice wavered. He was terrified, but he wished that it didn’t show so much. Who knew who his captor was, and who the hell knew what they wanted from him.

“I see our precious little flower has awoken.” A silky-smooth voice flowed through the darkness and the hair on Lance’s arms stood on end. Something was very wrong.

“W-who are you? What do you want?” Lance tried to force his voice to come out rougher, and more demanding. He tried to emulate Keith’s raw strength and power, but he wasn’t sure he could do it.

“Who am I? Oh my, that hurts. That really hurts me.” His captor’s voice dropped to a whisper in his ear, as his hand brushed across his face. Lance jumped and cowered against the wall.

“You are just as beautiful as you were when he first met.” Lance felt the man’s breath on his neck and gasped as a memory came back to him. It was a flash of long silver hair and bright blue eyes.

“Lotor?” The name left Lance’s mouth in a shaky breath.

“Ah, so you do remember me.” Lance could hear the smile in Lotor’s voice, and his body ran colder than the air around him.

“What do you want from me?” He could hear Lotor’s retreating steps and strained to hear what he was doing. “

Oh, there is much that I want from you.” Lance tried to make himself smaller against the wall to avoid the gaze he could not actually see. “But, that’s not why you are here. You’re here because that boyfriend of yours has forgotten his place.” Lance’s head snapped up at the mention of Keith.

“What? What are you talking about?” Lance couldn’t help the rise of his voice.

“Now let’s not get so worked up over some guy.” In moments Lotor was back, kneeling in front of Lance, his breath washing over his face.

“Keith isn’t just some guy,” Lance shouted. He wasn’t sure why he was getting so worked up.

“Of course, he’s just some guy. You don’t really think he loves you after just a few weeks, do you?” Lance stayed silent.

“Oh, my…you really do think he loves you? Oh, you silly boy.” Lotor’s laugh echoed throughout the room. “How naïve are you? Mr. Kogane is a very wealthy, very powerful man, and he could have anyone he wants. Why would he choose you?”

Lance couldn’t help the tears that began to stream down his face. No, none of this was true. He wouldn’t listen to this man. Lotor knew nothing. A cellphone startled Lance out of his thoughts.

Lotor sighed irritably, as he answered the phone.

“Hello…No, no, you know I’m out for the rest of the day…Well, tell him I can’t…He’s where? Tell him it’s rude and I am not coming back in…no, no, that’s fine…yes, tell him it’s his fault and I should be there momentarily.”

“Is everything okay?” A small soft-spoken female voice whispered from the darkness.

_Who is that?_

“Yes, it seems I am needed back at the office.”

“Wait, what are we going to do with him?” The girl’s voice grew frantic quickly.

“You’re going to sit tight while I take care of business. Just don’t let him out, don’t speak to him. You’ll be fine.” Silence filled the small room.

“I don’t know how, but this will all end one way or another very soon.” Lotor’s voice was soft, almost like a lullaby and Lance was more frightened that he had ever been in his life.

All Lance knew, for the moment, was darkness. A strong sense of fear and sadness enveloped his heart, and he sobbed quietly to himself as the world continued to turn around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sorry for the story chapter! These are just kind of...testers I guess. I want to see if people really like the work so I know how much time to dedicate to it.  
> I would love feedback, so please let me know what you think! 
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr: neutrallychaoticbooklover


	3. Barry Scott: Private Investigator

“No, no…Babe, it’s fine…That’s not necessary…Curtis, just stay home…Yes, we’re still on leave…I didn’t have a choice, if it had been anyone else you know I wouldn’t have…I’m sure they are…I’ll be home shortly, I promise.” Shiro hung up his phone and slid it into his jacket pocket.

 

“You should go home,” Keith’s voice was small in his vast living room. He sat on the edge of the grey suede sectional, clutching the arm for dear life. He glanced, almost accusatorily at the chaise of the sectional. The blankets from the other afternoon were balled up and discarded in the corner of the couch. The memory of that afternoon made Keith’s heartache and he turned away.

 

“Curtis can handle the twins for another hour or so. I’m just going to wait for Barry and then—“ Shiro was cut off by Keith’s exasperated groan.

 

“God, don’t say his name.” Keith threw his head in the crook of his arm, wincing as pain reverberated through his skull. In all of the mess between the police station and home, the pain of his migraine was bubbling in the back of his mind. Now that he had settled down it was back in full force.

 

“Oh, come on, Keith. He is a good guy and he’s a great PI.” Shiro paced the living room, trying not to be frustrated at Keith’s childish comments.

 

“What self-respecting grown man would call himself ‘Barry’?” Shiro rolled his eyes and shook his head. Keith hated how ungrateful he seemed, he just hopped Shiro understood the things that he could not bring himself to say.

 

“He’s solved a lot of cases and he’s got a great success rate,” Shiro spoke softly. “That’s what matters right?” Keith looked up at Shiro through squinted eyelids, as the natural light became even more bothersome. Keith nodded slowly before hiding his face again.

 

“Are you alright?” Shiro had seen the pain on Keith’s face but did not have the chance to get a response.  

 

“Sir?” Keith’s head shot up as Martha entered the living room. “You have a visitor, I’ve seated him in the dining room and I have coffee on.” As Martha spoke she aimed her voice at Shiro, casting soft apologetic glances at Keith.

 

“Thank you, Martha. We will be right in.” Martha smiled softly at Shiro and left the room. Keith sat on the couch a moment longer, silent in his thoughts.

 

“She really cares about you, you know?” Shiro was at Keith’s side, and he placed his right hand on Keith’s shoulder.

 

“Martha’s always been sweet on me. She used to sneak me late dinners when I would get in trouble and storm off to my room.” Keith gave a small chuckle.

 

“I don’t suppose you’ve told your parents about any of this yet?” Keith cast his eyes downward and Shiro nodded in understanding.

 

“They are going to need to know sooner or later. Especially with that Detective. He seems like a sleaze…” Shiro didn’t finish his thought, and Keith didn’t need him to. _I need to get in front of this before the media gets a hold of it,_ Keith thought sullenly. How a professional, whose job was to serve and protect, could betray their badge and talk to the media was beyond Keith, but he wasn’t naïve, he knew it happened.

 

“Let’s just get through this first,” Keith rose to his feet and tried to ignore the way that his knees trembled. Another bright explosion crossed the forefront of his mind and he grabbed the arm of the couch for support.

 

“Keith?” Shiro reached forward, a moment too late as Keith flopped back onto the couch. Keith couldn’t bring himself to look up at the concern on Shiro’s face.

 

“It’s just a migraine…I’ve had it since this morning.” Keith squeezed his eyes shut tightly, unable to block out the floodlights behind his eyelids.

 

“We can push this back if we need to.” Shiro’s voice was unsure, but the look of pain on Keith’s face pushed some of the urgency out of the situation.

 

“No, we need to get this started.” Keith forced himself to his feet, trying with all his might to ignore the pain.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Keith looked up at Shiro then, the pain of missing Lance covered by the pain of the explosion happening inside of his head.

“I have to be.”

 

 ***

 

“And there he is!” As Keith entered the dining room he was bombarded by an obnoxiously loud voice coming from an obnoxiously dressed person. “It’s nice to see you again Mr. Shirogane!” The loud little man continued to take Shiro’s hand aggressively before turning his sights to Keith.

 

“Mr. Kogane! Barry Scott, pleased to meet you.” Keith winced as his whole body vibrated from the enthusiastic handshake. He was dressed in a coffee brown tweeded suit, the purple elbow patches clashing with the red and gold paisley tie he wore. He was a short, round little man, with an alarmingly red face, and Keith wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into. 

 

“Yes, if only it was under better circumstances.” Shiro placed a hand softly on Keith’s shoulder and steered Keith towards the table.

 

“Ah, yes. If only.” Barry scurried towards the table and begun unloading his briefcase.

“Now, this is going to be…well it isn’t going to be very fun.” The room was silent for a few moments.

 

“I think I figured as much.” Keith looked across the table at Barry.

 

“Of course, I heard what happened at the police station, and although I know that this will be much more civil than that was for you, it may still be a bit…intense.” Barry glanced at Keith, and then at Shiro.

 

Keith took a small, shaky breath. “I understand.”

 

“Alright then, I’m going to leave you both to it. Call me if you need anything.” Keith nodded, smiling a silent ‘thank you’ as Shiro exited the room and Martha made her way in.

 

“I’m sorry to delay this even more, but I brought some coffee.” Martha began pouring cups of coffee and handed Keith some Ibuprofen.

 

“Thank you, Martha.” Keith took the medicine gratefully and began sipping his coffee.

 

“Alright, Mr. Kogane, we’ve got to cover the basics, and they are always a bit uncomfortable.”

 

“Okay, let’s just get through this.” Barry nodded looking down at his legal pad.

 

“Mr. Shirogane was kind enough to supply me with the transcripts from your interrogation this morning. Just to confirm the last time you saw Mr. McClain was yesterday afternoon around four?”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.” Keith could feel the pain in his head dulling once again, and he silently hoped it wouldn’t come back any time soon.

 

“And previous to that you both had lunch at Georgio’s that concluded around two-fifteen.” Keith nodded his approval to the statement.

“Alright, so now I need to know what happened between then and when you returned to the office at four.”

 

“After lunch, we came back here. We just laid on the couch and watched some stupid sappy movie about this girl, and someone was dead and she like slept with the dead guy's friend or something.” The interview had just started, and Keith was already growing frustrated. _What was the name of that movie? Why can’t I remember it?_ He didn’t know why it was such a big deal that he couldn’t remember whatever sappy movie Lance has chosen for them to watch, but at that moment, it was crushing him to not know.

 

“And then you went back into the office at four, were there when your secretary left and were still there when the cleaning crew and the night security were there. Around when did you leave your office for the night?” Barry looked up at Keith expectedly.

 

“I probably didn’t get out of there until ten-thirty, maybe eleven.” Keith sat up straight, stretching the lower muscles of his back.

 

“Why so late?”

 

“We’re working on a case to get more state funding for some of the children’s homes in the area. There simply aren’t enough supplies, and you can only rely on volunteers for so long. It’s been a long process, and we still aren’t done.” Keith realized he was beginning to rant and took a deep breath. Not everyone understood why Keith took special interests in cases concerning the orphanages in the state, and Keith never found it necessary to explain.

 

“Did you have any contact with Mr. McClain after you returned home?”

 

“No, I messaged him goodnight and I didn’t hear back.” Keith looked up and saw something cross Barry’s face. “But I just assumed he fell asleep. I didn’t even consider that he could be…” Keith’s voice drifted off. _How do I finish that sentence? He could be missing? He could be lost? He could be de—no._ Keith shut his own thoughts down, his entire stance growing cold.

 

“Mr. Kogane, this might be difficult to consider,” Barry shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to upset the young man before him. “…but, is there any chance that Mr. McClain left of his own accord?”

 

“What? No!” The china on the table clattered together, and Keith’s empty coffee cup toppled over as he jumped up from the table. “Why would you—why would you say something like that?”

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kogane. I did say this would be difficult to consider, we just need to cover all of the bases.” Keith sighed, slightly because he was embarrassed by his outburst, and mostly in frustration, at the ache in his head, that was seeping back in.

“Can I ask why you are so sure that Mr. McClain did not leave on his own?”

 

“I stopped by this morning, and it was just…a mess. And Kaltenecker was still in the backyard and…” Keith’s voice grew more frantic as the scene manifested before him.

 

It was almost like he was back in that moment. He had thought nothing of it at first as he unlocked the front door with the key Lance had given him as a present last month. Originally the key itself was nothing special, just a plain silver copy of Lance’s house key, but Lance had taken the time to decorate the key’s small surface with red nail polish hearts. His cake decorating skills finding a non-edible use.

 

As Keith entered the small entrance hallway, he could tell something was wrong. The smell of coffee was soft and faded, not the usual bold slap in the face it was morning after morning. Keith was scared to venture further into the house he had once known so well, but he forced himself to. He treaded slowly, almost like he was walking on thin ice afraid he could break through the surface at any moment. As he exited the little hallway, he noticed three things at once: the glass end table on the left side of the couch was overturned and glass littered the floor, one of the stools from the breakfast bar was turned over, and there was a steady drip-drip-drip coming from somewhere Keith couldn’t see. Keith needed to take a few more steps to see over the breakfast bar, but he was frozen in place. He didn’t want to see what was on the other side, but he had to know what happened here. Keith took two steps forward, and instead of taking that third step, he raised himself up on his toes.

 

It was then the ice broke and Keith was plunged into the icy depths of the unknown. Lance’s favorite mug—a ceramic, handmade, cow printed piece from some Italian market—was turned over on the kitchen counter, most of its contents spilled out on the floor.

 

Something was very wrong, and Keith hated to imagine what had happened.

 

In seconds, he was pulled out of the vivid memory. Across the table from him, Barry was observing him with kind eyes. _How long was I out? Why is he being so patient with me?_

 

“I’m sorry I was just…” Keith stumbled over his own words, and he cast his eyes downwards.

 

“You were just reliving one of the worst moments of your life.” Keith looked up, his eyes big and round like a deer in headlights. “I’ve worked hundreds of cases Mr. Kogane. I know that look, and I am deeply sorry for what that look means.”  All Keith could do was nod in acknowledgment.

 

“So, when you arrived, his place was a mess and Kaltenecker his…” Barry trailed off, waiting for Keith to fill in the blanks.

 

“His cow.” The wrinkles on Barry’s forehead deepened.

 

“His…cow?”

 

Keith chuckled softly and nodded his head. “His family owns a farm in California and they breed this miniature species of milk cow, and when he moved out here, he brought one with him.” Keith smiled at the ridiculousness of the situation. A twenty-three-year-old baker smuggling a miniature cow across the country.

“He must be a very interesting man,” Barry added softly.

 

“Yeah, he is.” Keith could feel his jaw tighten as a pool of emotion began to well up in his chest.

 

“I just have a couple of more questions—” Unwillingly, Keith let out a groan of pain as light bubbled behind his eyes.

“It’s just a list of associates, anyone who might have a grudge against you, Mr. McClain, or your family.”

 

“Of course, Shiro should have a list of all of that, actually.” Keith rubbed his temples forcefully, before meeting Barry’s gaze.

“With parents like mine, you can never be too careful,” Keith replied, to the unasked question.

 

“Of course.  Let’s break here for today, I’ll contact Mr. Shirogane’s office and get a list of names I can start working on.”

 

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Barry.” Keith stood up and extended his hand.

 

“it’s what I do, Mr. Kogane. We will pick this up tomorrow, and you can tell me the whole story, from the beginning.” Barry shook Keith’s hand and Martha returned to escort Barry out.

 

Keith groaned and let his head flopped into his arms. He was glad to be done with reliving that moment…that horribly terrifying moment.

 

“Mr. Kogane,” Martha’s voice was soft and gentle, juxtaposed with the harsh light streaming into the dining room. Keith heard the soft clatter of pills against the mahogany dining table.

“Let’s get you up to bed, it will be a better day tomorrow.” Keith smiled tightly. Martha’s wisdom was universal and sometimes a hard pill to swallow, unlike the Benadryl that always went down smoothly. Keith gulped at the water that Martha supplied and sighed prematurely at the thought of relief from the aching in his head.

 

Keith had no distinct memory of heading to bed, but he was all too happy to be there. Keith dozed off as soon as his head hit the pillow, and as he slept he dreamed of Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry if it was a little boring...but it is much-needed exposition and it was super necessary I swear! 
> 
> I am thinking of having a dedicated uploading day maybe on Fridays? I'll keep everyone updated on that. 
> 
> Also, Kaltenecker cannot be a full-sized cow in the backyard of a house in the suburbs, so I made her a miniature cow!   
> https://www.wideopenpets.com/miniature-cows-exist-and-here-is-the-adorable-proof/ Here is the article I got the idea from. So, I made her a miniature Holstein cow so Lance still gets milk from her and all of that. 
> 
> Also, if you are curious, the movie that Keith and Lance were watching was Catch and Release. It has Jennifer Garner in it and I love it! 
> 
> Let me know what y'all think of everything, especially the direction I took Shiro and Curtis in? 
> 
> Tumblr: neutrallychaoticbooklover


	4. An Unwilling Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger Warning*  
> I allude to some intense non-consensual things. If it makes you uncomfortable there is not much plot, feel free to skip this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys, so the note is at the beginning this time.  
> I am sorry that I haven't written in a little bit, but I hope this little tidbit is okay for now.  
> Please be aware, I do allude to some pretty intense things happening between Lotor and Lance.  
> I would hate to write a chapter like this without a trigger warning, so here it is. There are possible insinuations of non-consensual things. I don't describe anything, but a little bit is assumed. Our poor Lance is going through horrible things, and Keith doesn't even know who has him!  
> Again, sorry it has been a while, and I am sorry for putting our poor boy through all of this shit. 
> 
> \--Liz
> 
>  
> 
> _____________________________

Lance was awoken from a dreamless sleep by a firm nudge.

 

“What!?” For a moment, Lance couldn’t remember where he was. But slowly, as the darkness refused to dissipate, he remembered everything.

 

“Sit up.” The voice was demanding and feminine. It was nothing like Lotor’s predatory, seductive drawl.

 

“Wh-who are you?” Lance shifted slightly, unaware that he was cowering against the wall, away from the new voice.

 

“That’s not important.” The voice answered. Lance was startled once again as cold glass was nudged against his lips.

 

“Ah!” Lance threw himself back, smacking his head into the concrete wall behind him.

 

“Calm down, it’s just water.” Lance took a few breaths and leaned forward to meet the glass. Slowly the glass was tilted towards him, and a cool stream of water flowed down his throat. Lance gulped at it thirstily, unconcerned about the water that was spilling down his chin and wetting his shirt.

 

“Thank you,” Lance rubbed his mouth against his shoulder, as he remembered his arms were not currently his to use. He attempted to flex his wrists in their binds.

“Is there any chance you could let me out of these things?” Lance asked skeptically.

 

“You and I both know I can’t do that.” She replied sternly.

 

“It was worth a shot.” Lance continued fidgeting, attempting to find a comfortable position against the wall. There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room.

 

“Stop that.”

 

“Stop what?!” Lance turned his head frantically attempting to find the source of the voice.

 

“I feel like you’re staring at me with your beady human eyes.” She replied.

 

“I can’t even see! How could I possibly be staring at you?” Lance slumped back against the wall.

 

“I don’t know…You shouldn’t even be talking to me. Just go back to sleep.” Her voice was dismissive and Lance lost any hope he had about making a possible ally in this horrible situation. Lance nodded dejectedly and shuffled closer to the wall. As his skin touched the concrete he shivered violently. It was then that Lance realized that the room was freezing. Lance tried to take his mind off of the temperature of the room, and focus on anything else but he couldn’t. A shiver continued to run through his body like a seizure, and there seemed to be nothing he could do to put a stop to the spasms. He could hear the soft, disgruntled huff from a distance and heard her shoes trudge across the floor. Suddenly, Lance felt something soft, warm, and slightly heavy fall across his body.

 

“What are you—“ Lance began.

 

“It doesn’t do anybody any good if you freeze to death. Now go to sleep.”

 

Lance didn’t remember falling asleep. The next thing he remembered was waking up to a horribly familiar, intrusive voice.

 

“Axca!” The voice thundered through the small room, and Lance jumped.

 

“What? What happened?” The girl—Axca—seemed to be startled away just as Lance was.

 

“You fell asleep?!” Lotor’s voice dripped venom. “I put you in charge of watching the only leverage we have, and you fell asleep?!”

 

“I’m sorry, it’s been a long day and—” She never got to finish her sentence. A sharp snap resounded throughout the room.

 

“I’m sorry you made me do that.” Lotor’s voice casually turned the blame to his second in command.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” Lotor asked softly, his voice carrying a bitter edge.

 

“He’s cold and he would like to get out of his restraints,” Axca said softly.

 

“Okay, I’ve got things handled here, why don’t you head off for a while.” The rest of the exchange was silent, and Lance could not see Axca leave, but he felt the temperature in the room drop as soon as she was gone.

 

“How long have you been awake?” Lotor’s seductive voice scraped against Lance’s skin like sandpaper.

 

“Not long.” Lance could feel himself cower. He did not want to be on the receiving end of this man’s wrath, but he wasn’t sure he could avoid it being the only other person in the room.

 

“I’m sorry you had to be in the middle of that, My Treasure.” Before Lance knew it, Lotor was much closer than Lance wanted him to be.

 

“It’s fine…I’m okay.” Lance tried to shrink away from Lotor, but without his sight, it was impossible to know where he was. It felt like Lotor’s presence was constantly surrounding him.

 

“Now, now, Axca said you were cold, My Pet.” Lance didn’t like where this was going.

“I could keep you warm.” Lance clenched his eyes shut tightly, even though he couldn’t see a thing. An icky feeling settled over him. And then, there was nothing. Lance couldn’t feel a thing, and the more he allowed himself to not feel, the farther he seemed to get from himself.

 

Lance drifted off into an abyss of nothingness. He was lost inside his own head because his reality was so much worse than he ever wanted to imagine. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he found Keith. His gorgeous purple eyes whispering sonnets into Lance’s weak heart.


	5. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Two with Barry Scott.

Keith stood watching the rain splatter across the living room window. The rain was unpredicted, but the storm that the rain foretold of was expected to be intense.

 

“Sir, Mr. Scott has arrived.” Martha pulled Keith from his despairing thoughts.

 

“Bring him in here if he doesn’t mind.” Keith wrapped his arms tighter around himself as he turned to face the room.

 

“Yes, Sir. I’ll have coffee in just a moment.” Keith nodded softly, smiling tightly. Martha’s words were too soft, too sweet. It just made everything more real.

 

“Thank you, Martha,” Keith said softly as she made her way out of the room. Keith took a deep breath, steeling himself for the boisterous man that was Barry Scott.

 

“Mr. Kogane, how have you been doing?” Keith was surprised to find that Barry’s tone and volume much more tolerable this morning than it had been the other day. His voice was soft and sympathetic and Keith couldn’t help but feel his heart tighten.

 

“I’ve been doing as well as to be expected.” Barry smiled comfortingly.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I felt the dining room was a little too formal.” Keith settled into the sectional and gestured for Barry to do the same.

 

“Of course,” Barry unbuttoned his blazer and then pulled out a recorder. “If you don’t mind?” Keith nodded as Martha returned with coffee and muffins. Keith pocked up the inconspicuous muffin and delicately began opening it up. The best thing about Martha’s muffins was that until you cut them open, you never knew what kind they were. As Keith opened up the muffin, felt his heart melt. The vibrant colors of the strawberries and blueberries mixed together leaving purple splotches on the inside of the muffins. It was Martha’s way of saying that everything would be alright.

 

“Before we begin, I wanted to let you know that my offices began looking into the list your law team provided to us.” Barry pulled a couple of files out of his briefcase and began flipping through them.

 

“Yes, of course.” Keith settled into the chaise, and couldn’t help but notice that the light grey suede of the couch still carried the scent of Lance’s cologne.

 

“We have made our way through most of the list, and there really doesn’t seem to be anyone we are too concerned about,” Barry continued flipping through the pages in his file.

“We have had our team go through Mr. McClain’s home, and there are a few things we’ve seen that have raised some flags.” Keith took a slow sip of his coffee eyeing Barry wearily. He did not like where this was going. He had no idea what Barry and his men found and he was afraid of what that would mean for his hopes of finding Lance unharmed.

 

It took Keith a moment to realize that Barry was waiting on him. He took a shaky breath and then nodded at Barry to continue.

 

“My men discovered what we believe to be the original point of entry, there was a window in the guest bedroom that had a broken lock. It seems whoever broke the lock and came in through the window.” Keith nodded along, trying not to visualize the scene as Barry gave him the details.

 

“We also found smears of what we believe to be chloroform across the counter by the sink. This leads us to believe that whoever broke in drugged Mr. McClain before taking him from the house.” Keith could feel his grip on the coffee cup tighten. He didn’t want to think about this. He didn’t want to picture some faceless figure creeping up behind Lance and drugging him.

 

“Unfortunately, this isn’t what we are most concerned about.” Barry’s tone was hard and his words were sharp. _How could there be anything worse than this?_ Keith thought wearily.

“Chloroform is a very volatile substance. Too little and your victim will still be able to put up a fight…too much and they could asphyxiate quickly.” Keith’s brow furrowed, not able to grasp the meaning of what was being said.

 

Barry cleared his throat. “This could mean one of two things. One, it could mean that Mr. McClain is…dead. Two, if he is not, it means that someone put a lot of thought and research into his kidnapping.” The room fell silent. There were two possibilities and they were both shit. Either Lance was dead, or the person that took him knew what they were doing.

 

“How much thought and research?” Barry gave a slightly startled look at the question.

“Are you saying that this is some science geek that works in a secret lab somewhere or do you think we are looking for someone more malicious than that?” Keith could hear the lack of emotion in his voice and he hated himself for it. He didn’t want to have to deal with this like the wealthy target he always knew he could be. He wanted to deal with this as the grieving boyfriend missing his better half.

 

“My men think we might be looking for a stalker.” As the words left Barry’s lips, Keith’s breath caught in his throat. Keith knew from the experience of others that stalkers were dangerous, especially for powerful people.

 

“Do you know who?” Keith’s voice caught in his throat. Barry looked at him with sad eyes and shook his head.

 

“Not yet, we’re going through the list, and Mr. Shirogane has been kind enough to get a hold of all of your father’s contacts for us.” Keith’s head snapped up.

 

“What?” Keith had kept this entire situation under wraps from everyone, including his parents.

 

“Since you’re a rather new asset to your company, we required a more thorough list of previous employees, collaborative partners, the like. We reached out to your father at the close of business yesterday and as far as I know, have yet to hear back from him.” Keith took a deep breath, trying not to think about how upset his parents would be to hear about this from anyone other than him.

 

“I am sure he will respond as soon as he is able.” Keith gave Barry a tight smile and set down his coffee cup. “Shall we get started?” Barry searched his client’s face attempting to get any sort of explanation for the cold air he was receiving.

 

“Of course, whenever you’re ready. Just tell me your story.” Keith shifted slightly, making himself comfortable on the couch. The best place to start a story was at the beginning, and this is simply what Keith did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> So sorry for the long wait...although I can't even remember the last time I posted. Working on Chapter 6 right this second, and we are making our way into the lovey-dovey part of this story. I hope you like it! Leave me comments and let me know what you think! 
> 
> Tumblr: Neutrallychaoticbooklover


	6. From the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith begins to tell his and Lance's love story, from the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> I am so sorry that this has taken me so long to get out. I have no explanation, but I am hoping that I will be able to get back on track with this story.  
> If there is any love for this story still lingering, I would really appreciate if you could let me know.   
> Once again I am so sorry for my unexplained absence! Please enjoy these new chapters!!

The day had been grey and gloomy. Keith pulled his jacket tighter as the bitter cold wind of the January day chilled him to his bones. He was irritated, this hadn’t been his job. He was assigned to rent the hall and he had put his assistant, Amelia, in charge of sending out all of the invitations. Pidge was supposed to handle the cake.

 

Keith stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk. A few disgruntled commuters grumbled around him, but Keith wasn’t worried about them. He looked around at the shops that surrounded him, but couldn’t remember what he was looking for. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and attempted to unlock it with his frozen fingers.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Pidge, it’s me. Where am I going again?” Keith walked around in slow circles, reading the names of all of the small shops.

 

“You’re looking for a small little bakery on 12th and Main. It’s called El Cubano Azul.”

 

“It’s called ‘The Blue Cuban’?” Keith couldn’t keep the laugh out of his voice, as he looked for a street sign.

 

“Dude, you named your car ‘The Bat Mobile’ I don’t want to hear it.” Keith sighed; she wasn’t wrong.

 

“Alright, I’m a couple of streets away. Whose name is it under?”

 

“Just tell him it’s for Hunk, he will know what it’s about.”

 

“Wait, this baker knows Hunk?” Keith furrowed his brow as he came up on 11th street.

 

“Yeah, this is the baker that Hunk is always raving about. He spends all his time in that bakery with the owner chatting about techniques and such.” Keith chuckled to himself.

 

“Well, I’m almost there. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.” Keith bid Pidge goodbye and then hung up as he made his way to 12th street.

 

“Sounds good, thanks again!” With that, Pidge ended the call, and Keith put away his phone, stuffing his hands into his pockets to try and keep them out of the cold air. When he finally came up to the bakery, he was surprised to see the vast amount of foot traffic that came in and out of the little shop.

 

Keith scooted around the groups of women and families that circulated in and out of the shop. Without meaning too, he found himself pressed up against one of the far walls of the bakery. Although Keith had gotten better at socializing, he was not one for crowds. As he stood against the wall, he was able to watch the show unfold before him.

 

The crowd was filled with mothers herding gaggles of children that couldn’t all possibly be theirs. Keith glanced between the bobbing heads trying to get a better look at the man behind the counter. Because of the crowds, Keith could only catch swift glimpses of smooth, toned, caramel-colored arms, standing out gorgeously against the royal blue apron. Keith could hear the sing-song melody of his voice, and his sweet laugh sent a vibration down his spine. Keith was in awe. Here was this man who was confident and suave. His voice was loud and friendly. He was everything that Keith wasn’t. In any other setting Keith would be annoyed by this man’s presence, but here, in this crowded little bakery—that smelled like a very familiar early morning in a tiny Italian bakery he and his parents traveled to every September—he couldn’t get enough of him. He felt drawn in by every glimpse he caught of him. Keith was floored by his laugh.

 

Keith wanted to live in his fantasy for longer than he let himself. The nagging thoughts began to creep in. _Why would he be interested in you? You have nothing to offer but money. He’s not just some hooker you can pay to put all your broken bits back together._ Keith winced at the sharp tone of his inner voice. He knew the odds were slim, and after what happened before…Keith shut the thought down quickly.

 

Now was not the time. He had a job to do and he was going to need to go back into the office after Hunk’s party unless this new intern decided to suddenly get competent.

 

Keith was pulled out of his thoughts by a shrill cry. A small girl down in the front of the display had begun to cry. Keith had never been a big kid person, but everyone in the little shop seemed to gather closer to see what was wrong.

 

The guy behind the counter stopped what he was doing and came onto the floor to investigate.

 

“Nadia, what’s wrong?” Keith couldn’t hear the little girl’s reply, and the rest of the conversation happened in hushed tones. After a moment there was a twinkling laugh and the little girl was swooped up into the baker’s shoulders.

 

The baker went back to his duties and began handing the little girl—Nadia—treats as he rang up the other customers. Keith tried to keep his mind occupied and off of the baker. Keith pulled out his phone and scrolled through his email.   _Goddamn Amelia, for keeping up with my emails,_ Keith thought bitterly. Amelia was a great asset to his department, and she had definitely made his job much more manageable. But at the moment, he was looking for a distraction, anything would do. Keith finally resorted to scrolling through hundreds of eBay listings looking for new additions to his ever-growing collection of classic cars. Keith lost himself in the search and barely noticed the speed at which the little bakery cleared out.

 

“Hellooo? Tall, dark, and broody?” Keith was shaken out of his little quiet corner haven, by a rambunctious and melodic voice.

 

“Oh, God. I am so sorry. I just zoned out and…” Keith scrambled to put his phone up and to try and get himself together.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I mean, I usually close for a couple of hours after the morning rush, but…you seem worth staying open for.” Keith’s breath was caught in his throat. The beautiful boy leaned across the counter, resting his chin on his hand. Keith didn’t know how long he stared.

 

“Umm…I…” Not only could Keith not think, but he couldn’t breathe. This beautiful boy was being flirtatious and paying Keith more attention than anyone had since Nick.

 

After a moment of silence, the baker spoke again. “How can I help you?” Keith took a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair.

 

“I’m picking up an order for Hunk.” Keith slowly made his way up to the counter, trying to hide how flustered he was.

 

“You know Hunk?” The baker’s eyes lit up and he stood up a little straighter.

 

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since high school.”

 

“Oh yeah?” The boy behind the counter said smiling, his eyebrows raised in a challenging motion. “Well, what’s your name? Maybe he’s told me about you.”

 

“I’m Keith,” Keith extended his hand to the baker, giving a soft smile.

 

The boy behind the counter looked up at him, his eyes sparkling underneath gorgeously long eyelashes. Finally, he took his hand, his hand was soft, but his grip was strong.

“I’m Lance, nice to meet you, Keith.” Keith felt like he might melt into a puddle, as his name slipped through Lance’s lips like music. Keith didn’t know how long he stared, and the embarrassment from gaping like a fish at this handsome, smooth, boy had yet to dawn on him. Lance chuckled softly.

 

“Let me go grab that order from the back.” All Keith could do was smile sheepishly and nod. As Lance disappeared out of sight, Keith let out a quiet exasperated groan and threw his face into his hands. _What is wrong with me_ , Keith thought sourly. _A cute, funny guy is openly into me and I can’t even seem to breathe right!_  Keith wanted to bang his head against the counter but since he didn’t know when Lance would be back, he did not want to risk acting a fool even more than he is sure he already had.

 

“Alrighty, one fancy-pantsy cake, and six little cupcakes of various flavors for the H-Man.” Lance’s bright bubbly energy lit up the room, and Keith pulled himself out of his own sense of despair.

 

“Thank you.” Keith waited while Lance continued to ring him up. The slight moment of silence was too much for Keith, and he softly cleared his throat in an attempt to break it as he fumbled for some cash from his wallet.

 

“How much am I looking at here?” Keith asked, working hard to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s on the house.” Lance smiled down at his keyboard as he worked on printing out a gift receipt.

 

“What?” Keith’s voice was unintentionally louder than he wanted it to be as he was floored by the gesture.

 

“Hunk’s a great guy, and I’m just glad I can do something for him today. Make sure you tell him I said, ‘Happy Birthday’.” Lance closed up his register, gave Keith a brilliant smile and disappeared into the back of his store. Keith was unsure of what to do. He stood in front of the counter, a fifty clutched in his hand with no reason to have it out. Just as Keith was thinking to leave, he spotted the tip jar.

 

At 9:15 Keith rushed out of the little bakery, unsure why he was rushing. There was a fifty sitting in a small bakery’s tip jar, and a gift receipt secured to the top of the cake box with a royal blue cupcake sticker fluttering in the January wind. Unbeknownst to Keith, the ink from a glittery blue ink pen was smearing across the top of the box making the last two numbers in an unexpected phone number mostly illegible.


	7. Happy Birthday to YOU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk's Birthday Lunch

Keith was in a mood that even 9:30 city traffic could not bring down. Despite the fact that it took him almost an hour to get to the Victorian hall they had rented for Hunk’s birthday lunch, Keith couldn’t have been in a better mood.

 

“Um, hello? Earth to dumbass?” Pidge adjusted her glasses before waving her hand in front of Keith’s face as he set down the cake and cupcakes on the pre-assigned table.

 

“Huh?” Keith looked at her like a deer in headlights. He was completely out of it.

 

“I take it that you got the cake okay?” Pidge eyed him skeptically as she shoved him to the side and took a peek inside the box.

 

“Oh, yeah everything was just fine.” Keith plastered a nervous smile on his face trying—and failing—to not remember the smooth silky lull of Lance’s voice.

 

“Are you sure because—” Pidge never got to finish her inquiry. Just as she was going to point out the stupid grin Keith had on his face, a very disheveled Shiro burst through the hall’s doors.

 

“I-I’m here! Did I miss it?! Oh, God!” Shiro slumped into the nearest chair, and as he went to plop his head down on the table, he missed by a few centimeters promptly falling out of his chair and dragging the table cloth with him.

 

“Shiro!” Keith was pulled out of his ever-growing daydream as Shiro startled himself into consciousness by falling to the floor. Pidge and Keith helped Shiro up and casually tossed the table cloth back on to the table just as an equally disheveled Curtis plowed through the swinging door. Both men looked equally exhausted. Dark half-circles seemed to have taken up residence under their eyes, and each had odd tufts of hair sticking up here and there.

 

“We made it, right?” Curtis looked around at the scene before him, not quite sure of what he was seeing. His right lens was smeared with an odd substance and a diaper bag was hanging precariously off of the handle of the twin stroller he pushed.

 

“Are you guys alright?” Pidge asked as she surveyed the scene. Shiro was now sitting upright in a chair looking around groggily.

 

“Of course we are, this simulator is just kicking our asses.” Shiro shrugged as his eyes slipped closed. In seconds he had jerked himself awake again.

 

“Well, if you’re sure,” Pidge said laughing as she made her way to Curtis and the stroller. “Now, let’s see these robotic nephews of ours.” Pidge pushed back the conjoined sun visor and stared dumbfounded at the half-empty stroller.

 

“Um, guys?” Pidge received a small, mumbled, incoherent response from the two soon-to-be-parents sitting around the table.

“Doesn’t it make more sense to practice with two robot babies instead of one?” As the statement left her mouth silence filled the room. After a few seconds delay, Curtis jumped up with a jolt of adrenaline.

 

“We left a baby in the Uber!” Without a single thought, he bolted out of the doors before Shiro had even processed the information. For a few moments, everything was in chaos. In Curtis' sleep-deprived state, he could not seem to find the door he had just come through a few moments before, and Shiro was scrambling around in no direction in particular.

 

“Well, now. Who could this little fella belong to?” Coran waltzed into the room carrying a small robotic baby. Allura followed closely behind, her arms filled with decorations.

 

“Oh, thank God.” Curtis took the robot baby from Coran and placed it into the stroller next to the other one.

 

“Are you sure you guys are okay?” Pidge questioned looking back and forth between the two.

 

“Of course, we’re just a little bit tired,” Shiro reassured them as he rested his head on the table.

 

“Well, why don’t the two of you go and…” Allura gave both men a once over, “…freshen up. I’m sure the babies will be fine while we finish setting up.” Allura looked around, looking for cooperation from the other three in the room.

 

“Why yes, we can watch these two little tykes.” Coran cooed as he wiggled his finger in the face of one of the robot babies.

 

Slowly Curtis nodded, and he and Shiro headed out to the bathrooms to clean up.

 

“Whose bright idea was if for them to sign up for this baby simulator?” Pidge asked as she began haphazardly taping up crepe paper banners.

 

“I believe it was Curtis' sister’s idea. She said that she wished she had something like that before she had kids, and helped the boys sign up for the class.” Allura was following behind Pidge correcting the shoddy job she had been doing with a scowl on her face.

 

“Well, they didn’t have to agree to set the difficulty to hard. They should have just stuck with average.” Keith muttered as he fumbled with correcting the table cloth Shiro had knocked over.

 

“Well, now they will be better prepared,” Allura said as she looked around the hall with all of the decorations in place.

 

“The chef is here,” Curtis and Shiro announced as they reentered the room.

 

“Of perfect!” Allura marched up to him with an air of importance and she deflated slightly as he breezed past her to greet Keith with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

 

“Monsieur Kogane, how are you? How is your father?” The man seemed enthralled with every word that came out of Keith’s mouth as they engaged in tedious pleasantries.

 

“Chef Leblanc, it is an honor to have you come out here. Please, let me introduce you to the rest of today’s guests.” Keith had switched into business mode without much thought. People like Chef Leblanc were of an entirely different breed. It wasn’t just because the Chef was French, but he was used to catering to a higher-end clientele. Normally he would not have said yes to such a small and informal gathering, but Keith threw his name around a little, and Chef Leblanc was quick to comply. Finally, Keith was able to pass off the reigns of command to Allura who showed the good Chef where to set up. Quickly his assistant brought in all of his supplies and began quickly setting up.

 

“Wasn’t there supposed to be a bartender here too?” Shiro asked as he joined Keith at an empty table.

 

“Yes! Sorry, that’s me! I was running a tad bit late.” A young girl in her mid-twenties ran up to the table, the crate in her hand rattling as the glass bottles of liquors jostled together.

 

“Laura, nice to see you again.” Keith gave her a quick hug which she used to catch her breath.

 

“Mr. Kogane, thank you for this opportunity, it really means a lot.” She began setting up glasses and pulling bottles out of the crate that she placed on the floor.

 

“Laura, please. It’s just Keith.” Laura smiled at him shyly as a nerdy younger guy ran into the room carrying more crates.

 

“Tommy, please try and keep up with me.” Laura rolled her eyes as she threw her hair up into a ponytail and began mixing a couple of drinks. The younger guy—Tommy—pushed up his glasses with his shoulder and clumsily set down the crates of glasses and wines next to Laura as he watched her work.

 

“How’s that special drink coming along?” Keith asked hoping a little friendly conversation would help to calm her nerves.

 

“Special drink?” Shiro questioned as he watched the young girl mix drinks with striking efficiency.

 

“Yeah, we decided to make a drink for Hunk’s special day. We’re calling it ‘The Hunk’.” Keith emphasized the name of the drink with a little dramatic flair.

 

“I think he’s going to love it.” In second Laura had produced a gorgeous golden tinted drink, complete with tendrils of lemon and orange peels. Keith accepted the drink and took a tentative sip. To his surprise, the drink was not as sickly sweet as he feared it would be. In fact, it was barely sweet at all. It had a punch of citrus and a slightly sweet tang that cushioned the blow of the liquor that followed at the tail end of the sip. Keith nodded approvingly and handed the drink to Shiro.

 

After Laura had whipped up a couple of more and set them on the portable chilled bar she and Tommy left to chat with Chef Leblanc. Shiro and Keith were left in a comfortable silence as they sipped their drinks.

 

“I think she’s sweet on you,” Shiro said between sips as he glanced at Keith from the corner of his eye.

 

“Who? Laura? Oh no, she knows I’m…” Keith took a sip of his drink to busy his mouth. Shiro sat in silence for a moment.

 

“You know, you can say ‘gay’.” Shiro took a little sip of his drink while he waited for Keith to give him some kind of response.

 

“Yeah, I know, I just don’t have to say it much.” Keith let the silence grow slowly before he spoke up again. “It’s not like I’m ashamed of it. I’m not. It’s just—” Keith was growing a bit flustered as he tried to defend his inability to force himself to say the word.

 

“I know, Keith. You know that I know better than anyone how…insensitive the corporate world can be to people like us.” Keith let out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding. Shiro always knew what to say, more than that Shiro always knew what Keith was going through and how to make bad situations better. The two boys sat in silence, enjoying the quiet company of each other that was hard to come by these days.

 

Out of nowhere, Curtis' laugh echoed throughout the hall. Shiro’s eyes searched the room until he found Curtis and Coran crowded around the robotic babies. Keith watched as Shiro’s eyes lit up with every echo of Curtis' twinkling laughter.

 

“Do you feel ready?” Keith asked softly admiring the love that filled Shiro’s face.

 

“Honestly?” Shiro asked as he took a big gulp of his drink. “I don’t know how anybody is ready for this. It’s terrifying. To be in charge of two whole helpless human beings?” Shiro shook his head and took another drink.

 

“You did a pretty good job taking care of me,” Keith said softly. Shiro tore his eyes away from Curtis and a soft smile came to his face. Keith nudged him with his shoulder as he saw Shiro’s eyes begin to fill with tears.

 

“I think you’ll be just fine. I’m really happy for you guys.” Keith gave Shiro a moment of privacy to wipe away the mixture of happy and proud tears. Before their conversation could continue, Allura popped her head back into the hall.

 

“He just parked! Places everyone!”

 

***

For the rest of the afternoon, they ate, had fun, and were merry.  Hunk was thrilled to have every one of his closest friends together even if just for one afternoon. The group drank gorgeous full-bodied wines that paired well with the amazing cuisine crafted by Chef Leblanc.

 

When it was time for cake, the group presented the box to Hunk, who proceeded to burst into tears. Just the fact that they went out of their way to order a cake from a tiny bakery in town that Hunk hadn’t shut up about for weeks was a present enough for him.

 

“You guys are great! I don’t know how you even found this place! It took me weeks of talking to different bakeries to even get them to tell me about that place.” Hunk was savoring every bite of the rich chocolate cake.

 

“Believe me, it was not easy to find,” Pidge said as she ate her piece of cake.

 

“It was difficult to locate even when we had the directions,” Keith muttered through a mouthful of cake.

 

“You picked it up? So, you met Lance!” Hunk’s face lit up. “Isn’t he the greatest! He’s so funny and great with the costumers.” Hunk was practically beaming as he talked about Lance.

 

“Yeah, I guess he was pretty cool.” Keith picked at the crumbs left on his plate as Allura and Pidge began cleaning up around the hall.

 

“Huh,” Pidge exclaimed from a few feet away. Everyone looked towards her knowing full well she did not need prompting to explain the nature of her exclamation, but Pidge was silent far longer than they ever knew her to be.

 

“What?” Keith finally asked. Pidge sauntered over with a knowing smirk on her face.

 

“Seems like someone thought you were pretty cool too.” Pidge laid the receipt upside down in front of Keith. Glittery blue numbers stared back at him followed by the words, “Call me” and a cheeky little winky face. Keith was stunned. _The baker was actually interested in me? He wasn’t just flirting to make a sale…he was flirting to flirt. With me?!_ Keith’s mind was moving at a million miles a minute. Synapses were firing but nothing was quite making sense.

 

As Keith continued to stare dumbfounded at the receipt, Laura and Tommy entered the room having already packed up their things for the afternoon.

 

“I’m glad you had a great time,” she said giving Hunk a small hug. “Happy Birthday, again!” The room filled with chimes of ‘Happy Birthday’, and Keith mumbled it too. Hunk gave out a full-bellied laugh.

 

“No, dude, happy birthday to _you_!” He said gesturing to the receipt. Keith could feel the heat on his cheeks as he pushed the receipt into his coat pocket.

 

The group of friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the evening. As Keith waited for his car to be brought around, he pulled out the receipt and admired the neat handwriting. There was so much personality in just those eighteen little characters. There was a hard knot in his stomach, and he wasn’t quite sure how to explain the mixture of emotions he was feeling. But something felt…good. Keith thanked the kid that brought his car and tipped him generously as he drove back into the city, not the least bit upset that there were piles of reports waiting on his desk to be finished before dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, everybody!  
> I hope that you enjoyed these two chapters I posted today. I will try really hard to grind out some more chapters here soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Honest feedback is accepted.  
> This is my first time writing any sort of fanfiction, and I would love to know what y'all think!!  
> Also, I am so sorry for the short first chapters...
> 
>  
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: neutrallychaoticbooklover


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